


Caring

by rikujo (helphiddlestoned)



Series: 25 Days of Fic [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 25 Days of Fic, Day 2: Hot Chocolate, F/M, Fluff, is anyone surprised, it's day two and i've already broken the 1000 word limit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 17:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12893226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helphiddlestoned/pseuds/rikujo
Summary: There are few things that make being soaked through with rain a pleasant experience, but hot chocolate and good company might just do it.





	Caring

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 for 25 Days of Fic! EngBel is unappreciated and needs more works, so have this. Again, I use Léa as Belgium's name.   
> Hope you enjoy!

Heading onto the continent as the world slipped into winter always seemed like a good idea. For Arthur, it was a last ditch chance to grab some sun before he was stuck under his own dismal weather for the dragging weeks of late December and January.

The continent _in_ _general_ was a good idea—having ended up in Belgium wasn’t.

Sometimes he forgot how damn high Léa’s average annual rainfall was.

A sharp shower as he left the train station, that only got worse during his tram ride out the Léa’s flat, had left him soaked through with _icy_ cold by the time he was standing in her apartment, dripping water onto the wood floor as she kindly hurried off to fetch him a towel.

He knew he must look an absolute sight.

Pulling his sodden trench-coat off, his hung it over Léa’s coat-rack with a sigh.

“You should have waited at the station.” Léa called, trotting back out of her bedroom with a fluffy cream towel in hand. “I would have happily picked you up if you’d rung. I didn’t think you’d go out in this.”

“I didn’t want to trouble you.” he muttered. The irony that he’d ended up putting her out anyway wasn’t lost on him, especially when she popped the towel on his head and began gently rubbing away the water.

He went to say he could do it himself, but the towel was ever so warm and her soft, methodical strokes lulled him into keeping his mouth shut. Instead he tilted his head down to make the movement easier.

A shudder went down his spine when cold water slipped down the back of his neck, scurrying unpleasantly down his spine, and he wrinkled his nose. Léa frowned slightly, eyebrows knitting together in concern.

“You really are damp.” she observed quietly, but thankfully she then caught the still wet strands of hair at the back of his neck with the towel, preventing any more chilling drips. “We’ll have to get you out of those clothes or you’ll freeze.” She stepped away, taking the towel with her, and gestured for him to follow as she turned for her bedroom again. “Come on, I’m sure there’s some of Jan’s stuff in the back of my wardrobe.”

She went straight for the wardrobe along the far wall but Arthur’s eyes trailed over the light dappling the yellow flower pattern bed covers, the realisation that the rain clouds were now breaking up and allowing cool winter sunshine in making him even more grumpy about the wet fabric sticking to him. Léa’s focus remained on fishing through her clothes, though, until she pulled out a pair of neat trousers.

“These are Luca’s, so they should should fit you reasonably well…it’s a pity I don’t have any of his shirts.” she added, perusing the contents of the wardrobe thoughtfully as she passed the grey slacks back to him. She then plucked out a dark, muted blue shirt, handing that over too. “There, those should be warmer at least.” she said, turning back to him with a smile. “I’ll go and make us some hot drinks while you change – is hot chocolate alright with you?”

“That’s fine.” Arthur returned agreeably. While not tea he could appreciate cocoa, especially at this time of year, and after all the effort she was going to it was only polite to stick with her choice.

With one more smile and a nod, she vanished, leaving him with the new clothes. He shrugged out of the old, clinging damp ones with a sigh of relief and tugged on the slacks. They fit well enough—but the shirt was a different matter. He was a head shorter than Jan and it showed the second the shirt settled on his shoulders. He set to fixing the buttons anyway just as Léa knocked, popping her head back round the door.

“Oh good, the trousers fit!” He hummed, continuing with the buttons as she came over. “Wait,” she cut in, though. “One of them is mismatched.”

She reached out, adjusting the shirt buttons for him, and Arthur let his arms drop. “Oh, thank you.” He could see her lips twitching, though, and she even covered a small giggle as she did up the last button. He arched an eyebrow at her. “I’m glad one of us finds this amusing.”

Her smile spread fully and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, I just thought it would fit _slightly_ better than this.” she explained, plucking at the overlong cuffs. “Jan really is oddly tall.”

“It’s fine.” he dismissed with a sigh, lifting a wrist to fold them back. “I can roll them up.”

“The colour suits you though.” she added casually, making Arthur pause as she stepped away. She offered him a smile as she headed for the door again. “You should wear it more often.”

It took him a moment to process the words, delaying him in following her, but then dragged himself back to the present and made for the living room. Léa immediately handed him a large mug, heat seeping into his palms the moment they closed around it. There was a hint of cinnamon as he breathed in, mixed with the rich scent of chocolate, and the deliciously warm liquid went down smooth when he took a sip. The tension that had been in his shoulders all afternoon finally eased some.

“Perfect.” he murmured. “Thank you.”

“It’s no hardship. It means I get one too, after all.” she pointed out, holding her own mug close as she sipped from it, before wandering towards her sofa. She set her mug on the coffee table, tucking her feet under her as she sat, and Arthur followed suit, popping his own mug down so that he could relax.

The second he sank back into the sofa cushions a bell tinkled by his feet, making him glance down just in time to see a tabby cat launch itself onto his lap. He blinked curiously at the animal as it made itself quite at home, curling up instantly, and Léa giggled.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid once Metti picks you to sit on he’s not going to move.” she told him, shaking her head fondly at the cat. He nodded, reaching down to stroke the cat’s head. It leant into his hand affectionately, beginning to purr almost instantly, and he huffed out a laugh.

“He’s quite a trusting animal.” _Rather like his owner_ , he added mentally.

“He knows it’ll get him cuddles.” She reached out, tucking her fingers beneath the cat’s chin to scratch gently. “Don’t you?” she cooed, beaming as the cat happily sprawled further, and Arthur found himself caught on her smile. Her gaze lifted again, too quick for him to pretend he hadn’t been watching, but she didn’t look away. Instead her smile softened. “You look warmer now, at least.”

He gave a small nod. “I am. Thank you.” he said, perfectly sincere for once.

She just waved him away with one hand. “It’s nothing. We can’t have you turning into an icicle, no?”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to go to such lengths.”

He considered the narrow distance between them for a second before erasing it, tilting his chin to press a grateful kiss to her cheek…and covered a small smile of his own when he heard her breath catch.

There was the lightest dusting of pink across her cheekbones when he leant back.

“Well you’re welcome.” she assured softly.

Then, surprising him, she leant in a dropped a kiss to his cheek in return.

Neither of them quite pulled away, getting lost in the moment, and whether the kindness she’d shown him that afternoon or the easiness their relationship had always had, something possessed him to lift a hand, brushing a stray strand of her hair back behind her ear. He wasn’t entirely surprised when in response she silently leant forward and kissed him. Certainly he didn’t mind.

On the coffee table, the hot chocolates slowly began going cold, completely unnoticed.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! You can also come and bother me at anglaisaph on tumblr ❤


End file.
